BooksBarbecue
Back Into the Dying Light Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. I
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. BEFORE
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. BEFORE
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. BEFORE
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. BEFORE
  25. II
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. III
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. IV
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. AFTER
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  72. Newsletter Sign-up

A dozen people emerged from the woods, crossbows aloft. The others—Ephyra, Jude, Illya, Anton, Khepri, Hassan—were being slowly marched ahead of the crossbows, hands held up.

The woman in front of them trained her crossbow on Hector. She wore an elkskin cape and had a bandana tied around her head and slipped over one eye.

“There are a dozen more of us hidden,” she said. “So come with us peacefully, or all of you will be dead before you can land a blow.”

27

ANTON

Their captors bound their hands and led them on a steep, rocky climb up the mountains. Without the full use of their hands, it was slow going, but the length of the journey gave Anton some hope. If these people intended to kill them, they would have done it already and saved the trouble.

They walked in tense silence, until at last they reached a town sheltered by a great spur of rock and bracketed by trickling waterfalls that flowed into a small tributary of the Serpentine River. The only entrance, it seemed, was a single bridge that crossed beneath the falls.

Their captors led them over the bridge and into a stout, stone building situated right on the river.

“Wait here,” the one-eyed woman said, and then left, locking the door behind her.

The room was dark and smelled pungently of sulfur. Iron tools lay neatly on worktables, and a kiln, now cold, sat in one corner of the room. This room was a forge.

“So,” Hector said, breaking the silence. “We’re going to die, right?”

“You think she’s going to get the Witnesses?” Khepri asked.

Illya shook his head. “There aren’t any Witnesses in the mountains.”

“That you know of,” Ephyra muttered.

“Let’s just think for a second,” Hassan said. “Maybe there’s a way we can escape.”

Anton glanced around the forge. Narrow windows, thick stone walls, a heavy iron door—it didn’t seem likely.

“Maybe we can bargain with them?” he suggested, fidgeting with his bindings.

Jude opened his mouth to answer when the door banged open again and in walked a girl who could not have been older than twelve, flanked by four of the crossbow-wielding captors, including the woman with one eye.

“You found them on the river?” the girl asked. Her short, auburn hair was pulled severely from her face in two neat braids. A smattering of light freckles dotted her sharp, pointed face, and there was a surprising amount of authority in her clear gray eyes.

“Yes, Lady Iskara,” the one-eyed woman replied. “They had a boat that looked to be stolen.”

“We didn’t steal it,” Ephyra said immediately. “It was more of an emergency borrowing.”

“You will speak when spoken to, or I will cut out your tongues,” Lady Iskara said sharply.